‘Please come back’

His friends and colleagues at Aligarh Muslim University implore the scholar-turned-militant to rethink his decision

Dearest Mannan Bhai

We were thunderstruck when we saw your photo on the social media holding a gun instead of a pen. Immediately a sense of loss floated through our minds. We are yet to overcome the trauma of imagining you gone from our ranks and having joined the extreme side of our collective misfortune. It gives us unfathomable pain to even consider that you chose a path that is ridden with unmeasurable troubles and immense sacrifice. However, we are still prepared to believe that it is not too late for you to reconsider your decision. The damage could be undone with a little bit of thoughtfulness.

The media is currently so much into projecting the career possibilities that a student as bright as you could achieve. However, what is missing in these reports is the reason that pushed you to take such an extreme step. Every one of us is well aware of the bloodshed that we have seen back home. Every one, in one way or the other, is a victim of this vicious cycle of violence. There are ways of protest that attract different persons differently. All of us know very well how you used to register your dissent against the State excesses in Kashmir. That was already the best possible way for people like you to contribute your part.

Regarding your taking up the gun, there are as many viewpoints among your acquaintances as there can be. Within this huge spectrum, there are those who encourage and eulogize this path, but then there are others who out of their love, emotions, affection and concern for your well-being call you back. Your parents are obviously the latter ones. You may have already watched the video of your wailing parents. Their screams sent shivers down our spines. Don’t they even bring tears into your eyes? Don’t they deserve to be heard and their pleas taken care of? Even our Prophet encouraged people to serve their parents if they were alive. Taking care of them was pronounced as more rewarding than any other thing. Moreover, he used to prefer easier paths over difficult ones. We are sure you are not ignorant of that fact.

Political struggles in different parts of the world were mostly taken to their logical ends through non-violent means. The circle of violence revolves around its own axis; it has no open end. It is only through the process of dialogue that complex problems have been solved throughout the history of human evolution and conflict.

On one side there are those who have no idea of your talent and, on the other side, people like us, who know you well, and trust that your talent could be channelized in a constructive manner. Your befitting virtues of oratory, presentation, and debating were already apparent to us than what you presented to us now.You could be an inspiration to our youth. You could participate in the reformation of our society. You could fill the lacuna in leadership that we always claim to face. You could directly address the people if you choose a non-violent path over the violent one, without burdening your conscience.You could be a valuable asset for all of us. None of us can come to terms with losing you like this.

You are a leader and we hope you know what might be the implications of your decision on your alma-mater AMU, your fellow students and Kashmiri students in particular. Are you going to shatter our dreams like this? We too are the subjects of the same state for which you have reached this extreme point. But there is always hope. There is a hope that we will see a new dawn some day and we want you to be part of that. Please come back! We need you!

Your friends and well-wishers at AMU.

P.S. We urge the State government to ensure the return of this budding scholar. We are hopeful that his safe passage to his home would be ensured without causing him any harassment. We also impress upon the State to introspect and revisit its policies that push our youth, with promising careers, to such extremes. The talk of peace and prosperity is not in consonance with the policies that the State has adopted from decades. We also request the civil society and different organisations to act as mediators in finding a lasting solution to this vexed problem.